A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I am SOOOO thankful for our Guardian Angels last Thursday when a man tried to get The Prophet's attention & was following us around a store. You can read the full detail in THIS POST.

2) I'm thankful for The Prophet's interest & skill in playing the clarinet in his homeschool band. You can see/hear his own song HERE.

3) I'm thankful for all the fun I'm having trying new healthy recipes for our family...granola, various breads (strawberry, raspberry), tahini cookies, pumpkin chili, & so much more! Not all of it goes over well, but at least most of the family is trying them.

4) I'm thankful that we had no damage from the strong winds & rain from Hurricane Sandy. Praying for all those on the east coast who have lost much & have a long road of repairs ahead of them.

5) I'm thankful for the Food, Inc. Discussion Group Judy started on Facebook. Last night, I posted a question regarding snacks for my picky eater & w/in minutes I had a TON of great ideas. I think I might even be enjoying some of them in the very near future!

Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things! 

1) Lovin' Matt for being okay w/ me not being home an extra four hours this weekend. Both of us had forgotten until Sat. morning that I had volunteered to work part of the Sunday receptionist's shift.

2) Lovin' Matt for picking up my laundry slack occasionally. Some weeks, I just don't seem to get around to my regular schedule, so he does a few loads while I'm at work on Sat. while I'm at work. Love that laundry-doing man of mine!

3) Lovin' Matt for turning on the heat Sunday night for the first time this season. We've done well so far in avoiding the switch, but, BOY, was it chilly!

YAY - A New Meme! - Homeschool Blessings

 

 I'm so excited to participate in Judy's new meme...Homeschool Blessings. 

Judy says, "It's easy! It's fun! And, it gives you a chance to reflect on the blessings, joys, and adventures of your homeschooling life!

Want to participate, too? Stop by her blog (link above) every Monday, add the above image to your blog post, & share your homeschool blessings & joys. Don't have a blog? No problem...just head over to her blog post each Monday & list your blessings & joys in the comments section.

1) I am blessed to be able to learn alongside my children each day. While I was an above average student in most of my classes, I don't remember much AT ALL.

2) I can cater school lessons to each child's abilities & strengths instead of teaching to the average student in the class. I can also provide all the one-on-one attention they may need in various areas.

3) Anything can become a school lesson...walks in the park, baking in the kitchen, even watching city workers resurface the street in front of our house!

4) Along w/ #2, I can cater to The Archangel's ADHD impulsiveness & figgity-ness. He can sit upside-down on a chair when I read aloud in the morning or take more frequent breaks to shake out his wiggles.

5) My students (my dear Blessings) don't have to wait for the whole class to be finished w/ an assignment before moving on to the next subject. They can work at their own pace & are usually done w/ their individual work before lunch!  

Thank God for Our Guardian Angels

UPDATE: Several people have asked if I have contacted the police department. My primary concern yesterday morning was getting us away from there & home safely. I did call the police department this afternoon so they could have the information on file.

Yesterday morning, after I picked The Prophet up from his band practice, we stopped at Aldi to pick up a few things. As I was getting The Saint out of his car seat, The Prophet went to get our cart for us. When we joined him, I noticed a white car driving up to where the carts were & the driver's side door was open. The driver honked his horn at us, which I ignored & quickly ushered the Blessings inside. The Prophet said the man was waving his arm, gesturing him over to the car.

We went down the first aisle, grabbing a few snacks. I skipped the middle two aisles because I just wanted a few things & didn't want to be tempted by any other goodies. As we started down the fourth aisle, The Prophet said that the man from the white car was stalking us. For some reason (most likely my Guardian Angel's nudge) I believed him right away & didn't question what could have been his over-active imagination.

When The Archangel asked if he could go back to the first aisle to get a snack we'd forgotten, I said no. We didn't need it & I just wanted to get going. My "spidey senses" were on alert as we hurriedly finished our shopping. 

We checked out & as we were walking toward the door, The Prophet motioning toward the 2nd aisle quietly said, "There he is!" I just caught a glimpse of the man before we quickly left the store. His car was parked about four spaces from ours, so I kept a close eye on the store's door until we were safely out of the parking lot. 

On the way home, The Archangel told me how he had glanced over at the man in the store & that the man quickly averted his eyes when he noticed The Archangel looking at him. 

The Prophet first noticed the man when we were almost at the end of the first aisle. He was about half an aisle behind us, pushing a cart & darting his eyes from side to side. The Prophet waited until we'd gone to another aisle before saying anything because he didn't want the man to hear him.

I was VERY proud of The Prophet & how he handled the situation. He knew not to approach the man & was constantly aware while we were in the store. Also, all of my dear Blessings were on their best behavior & seemed to know that we were trying to get through the store as quick as possible.
 
This sparked another conversation on how to be safe. We talked about what to do if someone is following you. NEVER go straight to your home! Go to a business or preferably a police station if one is near.
 
To think that this man had the audacity to try to approach The Prophet while other people were around scares me to death. Our Blessings have been told from a VERY young age not to go to strangers, but what about those children who have not been taught the same? The news lately has been filled w/ stories of abduction. 

Parents...please, please, PLEASE teach your children about the dangers of strangers, especially this time of year w/ Hallowe'en approaching. Even in crowded areas, criminals are there...lurking, watching, waiting for an opportunity to strike. 

Thank God for our Guardian Angels watching over us yesterday!

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done! To link up your Small Successes each Thursday, go to CatholicMom.com. Here's the link.

1) I made two batches of granola, experimenting w/ various amounts of honey & molasses. The recipe is for granola bars, but I like to cook it just a minute or two longer then break it into bite-sized pieces. I made a batch a few weeks ago that only had honey & it was way too strong for my taste.

2) I made three different batches of pancakes to freeze for those occasional busy mornings. Batch one was Four Grain, batch two was French Vanilla w/ Rum extract, & the last included freshly pureed pumpkin. YUM!

3) I balanced our checkbook AND it was correct the first time! I usually have to refigure at least once due to a missed transaction or two. YAY me!

Our Budding Musician

The Prophet has joined a homeschool band. He really wanted to play saxophone, but it's not w/in our budget this year. His director suggested starting out on clarinet, since it will be an easy switch later on. We already had my sister's clarinet, so that worked out perfectly for us.

I am very pleased w/ this band & have seen so much growth in The Prophet since he began just a few short month's ago. 

His assignment for tomorrow's class is to compose & play a song of his own. So without further ado, I present to you, The Prophet playing "The Sorrowful March" written by himself!

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful for the beauty of fall & the opportunity to take some awesome portraits of our Blessings. I decided to do that instead of taking them somewhere...saved at least $75 & the portraits look great! These are the ones I had developed into 8x10s to hang in our family room.

The Prophet - almost 12

The Archangel - 9 1/2

The Saint - 4

The Princess - 7 1/2

2) I'm thankful for books. While I can see the benefit of an e-reader, I personally prefer to hold the actual book in my hand. There's just something about their feel & scent.

3) I'm thankful for the wonderful date I had w/ Matt Sat. evening. We went to see my nephew in Once Upon a Mattress, his last musical before he leaves for his mission in January.

4) I'm thankful that, even though we don't have much money, we have enough to make it in the crazy world. We don't have to have the latest technologies, a brand new car, or a larger house (well, a slightly bigger one MIGHT be useful!). What we don't have in possessions, we make up for in the closeness of our family (MOST days...LOL!)
 
5) I'm thankful for the laughter our Blessings bring to our home. Sure, we have moments of stress & chaos, but being aware of the joyous times makes it all worthwhile!

Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things! 

1) Lovin' Matt for going on a date w/ me Sat. evening. He picked me up from work & we went to see my nephew in the musical, Once Upon a Mattress. He played Prince Dauntless & did an AWESOME job. Matt & I enjoyed a night out sans our beautiful Blessings.

2) Lovin' Matt for helping others when in need. His mom & step-father haven't been feeling well this past year, so on Sat., he took the Blessings over to their condo to help out w/ some of their housework.

3) Lovin' Matt for the little things he does for me w/out being asked...carrying an item up to our bedroom or bringing my blanket to me. It's always a nice surprise & I think he just loves when I ask, "Did you do that for me? I had no idea! Thank you so much!"